'I would have loved to win a 50-over World Cup. We had two chances, but we didn't convert them.'
'There are regrets, but not regrets that I will be thinking about for years and years.'
Kumar Sangakkara has termed his decade-and-a-half in the game as a "great one," with the biggest regret being not able to win the ODI World Cup despite being part of two summit clashes.
"I would have loved to win a 50-over World Cup. We had two chances, but we didn't convert them. It would have been great had we won a Test series in India as well. So there are things that could have been, but I think that's the way the game goes," said Sri Lankan cricket's greatest ambassador who will retire after the second Test against India during his farewell press conference in Colombo on Tuesday, August 11.
Sangakkara said there are regrets, but he will not lose his sleep over them.
"There are regrets, but not regrets that I will be thinking about for years and years, and be bitter about. I have had a great career. I have enjoyed everything -- the wins and the losses. The bad times and the good times, everything has been a great experience," said the player who has close to 28,000 international runs, including 63 hundreds.
"It would have been nice to win a few more Test matches away from home, especially in Australia. And I remember going to England with the team last year and beating England 1-0 in that series. It was the best overseas tour I have been on."
Sanga also recalled Sri Lanka's 2006 tour of England.
"In 2006, we drew 1-1 and won the one-day series 5-0 in England. That was a great tour," he added.
Asked why he isn't playing all the three Tests against India, he said he had already discussed the issue with the country's cricket bosses and the arrangement was to play two Tests before retiring after he was persuaded to continue at the completion of the 2015 World Cup.
"The reason for the two and two Tests split (between the Pakistan and India series), even though it is not ideal, was the agreement I had with the previous selection committee when I was discussing my future," Sangakkara revealed.
"I had plans to retire immediately after the World Cup, but they wanted me to try and play a bit more Test cricket. This was all I could offer them and I said as long as they were okay and the board is okay with that, I will be willing to play four more Test matches."
"They were okay with that and I said if they were not, tell me that that would be fine and I can then retire after the World Cup. That's why it's a two and two split."
While he spoke about the good and bad phases of his career, he also mentioned the life threatening terror attack on the Sri Lankan team's bus in Lahore in 2009.
"It was one of the scariest times for us for sure. But I think, again, it was an experience especially for the Sri Lankan team. It is hard to say whether it was timely or anything. It kind of again put things in perspective. We have been through a raging conflict and we were untouched directly by the war."
"And then we go to play cricket, which should be the safest environment for us and we get attacked. We had injuries and then I saw Thilan Samaraweera come back a month-and-a-half later and score a Test hundred, after being shot in the leg and running the risk of not being able to play again, or maybe even die. That really brought home to us that being in a situation like that it is scary, but the real point is to come out of it and come out of it strong," Sangakkara recalled.
Asked if he sees international cricket returning to Pakistan on a regular basis, Sanga said: "I think the Pakistani people are wonderful cricket fans. They have always been and have welcomed us with open arms. They love the way we play and they support Sri Lanka very, very strongly. For the Pakistan cricket team, to see that talent and ability and not have them being able to play in their own country is sad."
"But that is not for me to say it is safe or unsafe; it is a matter for the home board, it is a matter for the security arms that are concerned, it is for individual countries to decide, players to take the decision themselves. Sports, hopefull,y will remain untouched by violence."
Sangakkara, who made his Test debut in 2000 in Galle, said it is his "happy hunting ground."
"I think Galle has been a favourite ground for all of us. One of Muttiah Muralitharan's favourite hunting grounds as we have always managed to win a lot of Test matches here."
"It's my favourite Test ground in the world. I think as players we love coming here because we know the conditions, we have always backed ourselves here and we are taken care of extremely well by all ground authorities."
"All the boys come here looking forward to a really good Test match, weather permitting and it's always got crowds coming in. It's a great backdrop to play against. All these factors contribute immensely to the feeling that you have when you walk out to play. It's going to be a very special ground not just for me but also for a lot of players, both visiting and local," he added.
Talking about his team's rivalry with India over the years, he said, "It has been a great rivalry. It has been a tussle between some great players. When you are facing a side that has a batting line-up -- Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman and Sourav Ganguly -- you know you are in for a very, very tough time."
"And then you have Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan who, to me, are one of the most difficult bowlers I have ever faced. It's an exceptional feeling going in and playing against greats."
"Meanwhile, we have had Murali, Sanath Jayasuriya, Aravinda de Silva, Marvan Atapattu, Chaminda Vaas and Mahela Jayawardena. I think when you look at Test series around the world, there is one iconic series in the Ashes and I think, maybe, if we can develop a context and a meaningful rivalry and trophy for maybe a Test series in that vein for Asia as well, that will be a great step forward."
"The rivalry (with India) has been great; it has been tough cricket and I think both sides have come through tough times. Hopefully, this series will be similar."
MORE ON SANGA!
REDIFF RECOMMENDS!
